Chasing Hearts
by fallenxxangel
Summary: The Doctor and Clara end up in California during the Gold rush. Chased by outlaws lead by a mysterious leader, they use the help of a miner named Sam to escape. The TARDIS is gone, friends fall into danger, and the Doctor begins to realize he can't run from everything - not from love. Suspensful, timey wimey whouffle goodness.
1. Miscalculation

**Chasing Hearts**

**Summary: **The Doctor and Clara end up in California during the Gold rush. Chased by outlaws lead by a mysterious leader, they use the help of a miner named Sam to hide in his gold mine. Retreating further into the forest they escape only to find the outlaws have stolen the TARDIS. The universe seems to place them in situations forcing them into revealing their feelings. Suspense, gunfights, tension, and whouffle.

**Chapter 1 – Miscalculation**

The sound of the TARDIS echoed through the tall pine trees as it landed. The blue door creaked open as the Doctor walked backward out of it pulling Clara along with him. "You'll love it! 1950's Los Angeles, loads of fun shenanigans to get into." Clara's smile faltered as she observed her surroundings of trees and rocks, not exciting buildings with movie stars and baseball.

"Doctor." He of course continued his rant, ignoring her. "Doctor!" He stepped on a thin branch eliciting a loud snap.

"Did I break something?" He picked up the half broken stick. "A stick? Who leaves a stick on the ground?"

"Doctor." He finally looks at Clara, and then alters his gaze as the realization eventually reaches him.

"Oh. Not 1950 Los Angeles." He turns around observing the setting, and then inhales deeply. "Still California." He licks the stick he's holding and Clara scrunches her nose in disgust. "1850. Placerville, California, America. Well I suppose since it's 1850, not Placerville, Hangtown. Must not be far." Clara became rigid, staring behind the Doctor's shoulder. "Clara?" The dreaded clicking of a shotgun caught the Doctor's attention. Dropping the stick he slowly turned around and threw his hands in the air. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We're nice! Promise!" The man with a cowboy mustache eyed him curiously.

"You ain't one of them forty-niners are you? This here is my land, I don't want no foreigners stealing my gold."

"No! No – not forty-niners. Well, we are foreigners, but still, no thieves here. Definitely not interested in stealing any gold." The man kept his gun raised as he contemplated their presence. "Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Clara. Say hello Clara."

"Hi." She nervously waved one of her raised hands. The man's eyed shifted from beneath his worn, flat rimmed, black hat to the Doctor, to Clara, and back again. He lowered his shotgun and wiped his hand on his dirty levi's before reaching out for a proper introduction.

"Name's Samuel Tucker, jus' call me Sam." The Doctor gladly accepted his handshake.

"Nice to meet you Sam. Now – can you tell me how far to Hangtown?" Sam slung his gun over his shoulder.

"Hangtown? Well I'm guessin' bout eight miles South. You plannin on walkin there? Today?" He pulled out his old pocket watch checking the time.

"Yes, I promised Clara to show her the sights and all that."

"You'd never make it there b'fore dark, why don't you stay at my camp till mornin? Not safe round these parts at night, specially foreigners with strange clothes." The Doctor smiled at Clara. She looked down at her black halter-top dress flowing to her calves, with a red belt around her middle, and flat black shoes. She glared at the Doctor for his criticism. If he had landed in 1950's Los Angeles then her dress wouldn't have been a problem. The Doctor, amused with himself, turned back to Sam.

"That would be lovely! Lead the way to your camp." He grabbed Clara's hand and followed their new friend Sam.

* * *

Sam's camp consisted of two small tents, a fire pit, and a gold sifting box near the creek. The creek was shallow and flowed at a fairly calm pace. Upon entering the camp a brownish red, short haired dog rushed to greet them. One ear flopped over while the other stood on end. The dirty white fur collared his neck and ran down his chest. "This here's Red. Not fond a strangers, but he seems ta like ya." Sam gathered timber from a small pile and threw it in the fire pit before breathing life into the hot coals.

"You're so cute! Isn't he Doctor?" Clara petted Red's dusty fur enjoying his affection. The Doctor looked at Red then crossed his arms with a scowl on his face.

"My chin is not too big." Red barked at the Doctor. "She is small isn't she." He barked again. "Yes – quite soft." Clara furrowed her brow at the Doctor. "What? I speak dog."

"Of course you do." Clara walked further into camp after rolling her eyes at him. "Doctor look! He has horses." She directed her attention quickly to Sam. "Can I pet them? I won't frighten them will I?" Sam smiled under his mustache.

"Nah, they're good, reliable fellas, but careful round the mule, she's little more touchy." Clara walked behind the tents. A tight rope was strung between two trees about six feet up. The two horses were tied to the rope with comfortable slack. They perked their ear forward as Clara approached, Red following close behind. One was tall and muscular with a sleek dun colored fur that turned black on his legs. He shook his black mane to shoo away flies then stretched his nose out to her. The other horse was shorter, but well built with a beautiful bay coat of hair darkening to black at his knees down, and a long black mane. He joined his buddy in sniffing Clara's hand. Gaining their trust easily, she stroked their long faces.

"They're wonderful!"

"The darker one's Clyde and the lighter one's Trigger. They're nice boys, always together they are." Sam continued to stoke the fire. Jealous of Trigger and Clyde, the mule nickered at her to get her attention.

"Who's this one?" She made her way to the rope next to the horses where the mule was tied.

"That there's Lilly." Lilly was dark brown with a white nose, and had a slightly different build than the horses. Her ears were a little bigger, her face broader, her back straighter, and her hooves flatter. She was more assertive than the horses and came right up to Clara to sniff her. The Doctor smiled at Clara's joy as he quietly observed the details around him. Sam brushed of his knees with his hat. "You hungry? I ain't got much, but there's a few biscuits left and some beans." The Doctor wrung his hands together.

"Delightful! Clara! Come have a biscuit." He joined them by the lively fire. Sam returned from one of the tents with two plates and horse blankets over his shoulder.

"Here ya are." He handed them the plates and laid down a horse blanket for each of them by the fire. They all sat down to enjoy the warmth dancing against their skin. The sun casted shadows among the tall trees and the sky slowly darkened with the cooler air settling in. Clara quickly felt the chill in the air causing her to shiver. The Doctor took off his purple tweed and put it on her shoulders.

"We'll need to buy you some proper clothes when we reach Hangtown."

"Thanks." Clara thanked the Doctor and continued nibbling on her delicious biscuit. Sam brushed his fingers over his mustache, wondering about the two foreigners he welcomed to his home.

"So what are you doin round these parts if you're not looking for gold?"

"Well, we sort of – miscalculated." The Doctor didn't mind talking with his mouth full, any chance to express his immense knowledge should not be wasted.

"Lost your way did ya? Well, round here it gets to lookin the same. Sometimes folk wander round n' never make it back. Anyhow, I 'spect y'all tired. I'll sleep in that tent there, you two can have the better tent over yonder." He pointed to the tent slightly further from the other one and closest to the creek.

"You're so kind. Thank you, Sam. Come on Doctor it's about time we got some rest." Clara stuck her arms through the Doctor's coat sleeves as she stood. The Doctor joined her.

"We'll see you in the morning."

"Night." They approached the small tent and stepped through the flap. Inside contained an old pillow and bedding lain across the dirt. Clara then realized just how small it was. The Doctor had the same thought and suddenly felt nervous.

"Go ahead, lie down. I'll just sit here, I don't need much sleep – Time Lord body and all." He fidgeted with his hands.

"I don't mind, Doctor, really. Besides, it's chilly you'll be wanting some blankets." Clara took off his jacket and offered it back to him. The Doctor held up a hand in protest.

"No, no you keep it on. I'll be fine." She put the oversized coat back on and laid down, settling in under a heavy blanket. The Doctor fidgeted some more then sat next to her.

"Are you going to sit there all night?" Clara looked up at the awkward Doctor.

"Yes – no. Fine I'll lie down." He stayed above the covers and laid sideways away from her being certain she had all the room she needed. Clara smiled at his version of lying down and turned away from him, wrapping herself in the comfort of his tweed and the heavy blanket; closing her eyes.

Sam lingered at the fire with is gun on his lap. Something didn't feel right, something was lurking out there in the shadows of the night. Sam patted Red on the head and went into his tent for the night, keeping his gun in reach.

* * *

**History**: Placerville California was formerly known as Hangtown and before that, Dry Diggin's. The name changed from Dry Diggin's to Hangtown because during the Gold Rush the town decided to take disciplinary actions against gold thieves into their own hands. Two outlaws charged with murders and robberies were hanged there setting the stage for many hangings to come, thus changing the town's name to Hangtown.


	2. Through the Forest

**Chasing Hearts**

**Chapter 2 – Through the Forest**

A cold drip of water splashed against Clara's left cheek, stirring her slumber. Her eyes flittered in annoyance before slowly opening them to the harsh brightness of sunrise. It was almost too warm... she moved to kick the blanket off to find the Doctor's leg entangled around hers. This awareness made her suddenly awake. Her face was in the Doctor's chest with her hands curled up against his waistcoat. His hands wrapped around her waist bringing their bodies flush against each other. Heat spread across her face as she tilted her head to see the Doctor sound asleep. She stared for a moment before another cool drip of water touched her nose, breaking her trance.

Trying to avoid further embarrassment, she slowly untangled her leg from his and gently put her hands on his forearms where his arms wrapped around her. Cautiously she began to pull his arms away from her. Success! She quietly turned over so her back was facing him. As soon as she was free, the Doctor's arm wrapped over her waist and pulled her closer as if afraid of loosing her. She attempted to remove his arm again, but this time he resisted and pulled her closer, leaving no space between them. A trip of water on her lower cheek startled her, stopping her thoughts of feeling his body against hers. The only way she could escape with a shred of dignity left would be to wake him.

"Doctor." A loud whisper at first. "Doctor." Then a normal tone, but still no response. "Doctor!" A slightly louder tone generated some response at last. The Doctor yawned and his grip loosened, but his eyes stayed shut.

"Yes, Clara." Another drop of water splashed her forehead, now she was annoyed. Where was this water coming from? Did it rain in their tent?

"It's getting quite warm in here." Another drop fell into the Doctor's ear. He squirmed and immediately sat up from the rude wakening. The Doctor rubbed a finger in his ear at the annoyance, hardly noticing how he had to let go of Clara's waist to sit up.

"Water? Is it raining? Hang on aren't we inside a tent? It is quite warm in here – must be chilly out, water vapors inside the warm tent must of come in contact with the cold canvas of the tent resulting in condensation." Ignoring his ramblings, Clara took of his coat and tossed it at him. The Doctor mumbled something to himself as she stood up and stretched, completely avoiding the subject of how they spent the night intertwined. When he finally quit talking she escaped the tent before he could remember how he slept. The Doctor's cheeks flourished red as she left the tent, thankful she seemed to avoid the subject as much as he did.

Sam just finished saddling the horses as Clara emerged. "Mornin' Miss Clara" He touched the tip of his flat rimmed hat and slightly dipped his head in politeness. "Would you like some jerky? Or coffee? I'm fraid I'm all out of bacon, and my chicken was caught by a coyote a few days ago, so no eggs." She joined Sam by the horses and patted Trigger's neck.

"No thanks – not really a coffee drinker." The Doctor emerged from the tent and straightened his slightly wrinkled jacket.

"Mornin' Doc." Sam dipped his head in a more manly gesture than he had with Clara. "We can head for town anytime ya like."

"It's Doctor, and yes whenever you're ready." Red barked as he ran past the Doctor, nearly tripping him, to happily greet Clara with a wagging tail. The Doctor ran a hand through his floppy hair and straightened his bowtie. "I do not look funny – you're the one with uneven ears! Look at them, one stands up and one flops over." Sam gave him a look thinking he was crazy, and Clara just smiled while she rubbed Red's head.

"You fella, are certainly the strangest man I've ever met." The Doctor joined them by the horses and gave him a goofy smile.

"So I'm often told. Now, shall we head for town?" Sam grabbed the bridles hanging from a saddle horn and slipped one on Trigger.

"Here, you can ride Trigger, he likes you." He handed Clara the reins and moved on to the next horse. Trigger gave Clara a light snort and smacked his lips against the metal bit.

"Actually, he thinks you're the lightest and will be easiest to carry."

"Well, at least he doesn't hate me." Clara giggled. She then noticed the bay colored horse, Clyde, only had a blanket on. "Why doesn't he have a saddle?"

"Not enough saddles, don't worry I ride just as well bareback as I do with a saddle, and I trust Clyde here not to throw me." Sam brought over the mule and handed the Doctor her reins. "You can ride Lilly. She follows well – shouldn't be hard to handle." The Doctor patted her neck. "You just follow me and they will do the rest." Sam walked over to Clara and Trigger and offered to help her up.

"I know I'm in a dress, but I'm not that short – I can manage." Sam put his hands up in surrender.

"Whatever you say miss." He held Trigger still while she almost didn't reach the stirrup, then pulled herself up and over. She situated her dress, covering the back of the saddle and her legs as far as her knees. Sam let go of Trigger and jumped on Clyde as the Doctor ungracefully hopped on Lilly. The mule snorted loudly and held her ears back.

"I'm not that heavy!" The Doctor insisted as Lilly reached her nose to her side and nibbled at The Doctor's stirrup. Being the tallest of the bunch, he most likely weighed the most, but she was a mule and can handle twice his weight. It seemed she just like to pick on the Doctor. Sam began trailing off towards Hangtown with Clara close behind.

"Come on Doctor, don't want to get left behind!" Sam playfully yelled back at the Doctor and continued on ahead. Lilly refused to move for a moment until the Doctor wasn't hanging on, then lunged forward almost leaving without him. Clara and Sam laughed at his clumsiness. Sam whistled short and loud, calling Red to follow him. He trotted along side Clyde and Trigger with a light feet. A thought nagged at the back of the Doctor's mind; why is he so accepting? Why does he believe them so easily? Something felt slightly off about him. His intense stare was broken along with his concentration when Sam informed them to not tough the poison oak in their path. Luckily he heard him just in time and narrowly missed a brush against the poison avoiding an itchy rash. Clara and Sam continued to chatter while the Doctor became lost in his thoughts during the ride to Hangtown.

* * *

Hangtown was a small little town nestled in the hills with wooden buildings and houses lining the streets. Horses, wagons, and people bustled about the little town. Sam led them to a little two story building with a carved sign above the porch: "Huntington's General Store". They stopped at the hitching post, where a few horses were already tied, and dismounted their horses and tied them as well.

"Well here we are." Sam gestured to the town. "Hangtown. This here's the general store, over yonder is the tailor's, down past the tailor's is the carpenter followed by the blacksmith, and cross the road here is the saloon. I'm gonna head into the store to buy some food, why don't you and the misses find some suitable clothes." The Doctor, offended, looked at his clothes, and Clara embarrassingly looked away at the mention of her being the Doctor's misses. Sam pulled out a few coins and put them in the Doctor's hand. "Here ya are. Now go on. Meet me at the saloon when y'all are done. The famous Miss Lotta Crabtree will be singin' today, I'd like to listen." And with that Sam entered the store leaving them to manage the tailor's themselves.

"You know Clara, if I'm right that store is owned by Collis Potter Huntington." The Doctor gave her a goofy smile as they walked towards the tailor's.

"So? Who's he suppose to be?" The Doctor looked slightly disappointed, but explained anyway.

"He's one of the big four! You know? The Central Pacific Railroad?" Clara shrugged with ignorance on the subject.

"Sorry Doctor, I'm not to keen on American History."

"He's a shop owner now, but wait a few years and he'll be a very rich, powerful man." Clara was more interested in the passing carts and wagons than his history lesson, so he gave up. "Let's get you some clothes for the 1850's and head for the saloon." They entered the tailor's shop and found clothes for Clara.

The Doctor emerged with a flat rimmed, black hat like Sam's and held his coat over his shoulder, but didn't change his clothes. Clara emerged in a long burgundy dress with short rounded sleeves. "Well Miss Clara, are we read to hit the saloon?" He held out his arm and Clara rested her hand on his elbow.

"Lead on then." When they entered the saloon a woman in a fancy dress with curly hair was singing while all the drunken men happily cheered her on. "Do you see Sam anywhere?" They scanned the room searching for Sam, but most of the men had the same hat making it difficult to differentiate.

"Miss Clara! Doctor! Over here!" Sam waved them over to a table near the window. "You look awful fine Miss Clara, and Doctor, nice hat. Would you like a drink?" He offered the Doctor some of his beer, but the Doctor politely declined.

"Water would be fine." Sam waved over a waitress and ordered water for Clara and the Doctor. As soon as the waitress turned to walk away, the double doors slammed open. The music and singing stopped as the three men entered the saloon. The apparent leader was very tall and strong. He wore a similar hat as Sam and a long, black duster coat with worn-out Levi's and a loose white button-up shirt with a black, dusty waist coat. His dark brown beard covered half of his face and his brown eyes held no compassion. His two companions wore similar clothes, but one was short and the other was average height. They moved towards the bar and ordered a bottle of whiskey with three glasses. The barkeep tentatively complied. The leader unholstered his pistol before taking a sip of whiskey.

"Now that I've got your attention, gentlemen of Hangtown give us your gold." The three bandits pointed their guns towards the general audience. "Y'all comply real nice and peaceful like and we won't have to shoot anybody." Some began to search their pockets, other ducted under tables or found cover in preparation for a gun fight. The leader's gaze suddenly became interested in the Doctor and his strange clothing, then at the pretty girl he sat with. Sam instinctively covered a hand over his coat pocket, but then lowered it to hover over his holstered pistol. This small action did not go unnoticed by the Doctor, but more important matters urged him to save the thought for later. "You there, give it up."

"I ain' 'fraid a no thieves." Sam stood with his gun aimed at the leader. His courage sparked the other men in the saloon to draw their guns on the bandits. "I reckon twenty or so guns have a better chance than three." The leader stepped closer to Sam, towering over him. The tension in the room pushed against trigger fingers. Suddenly a man broke a whiskey bottle over the shorter bandits head causing the saloon to erupt in gunfight and brawling. The Doctor protectively covered Clara in an embrace and they ducted under the table. Sam evaded the leader easily under the distraction and slipped out the doors. The Doctor saw his chance and escaped the saloon behind Sam. By the time they left the saloon, Sam had jumped on Clyde and took off towards the camp with Red quickly running behind him.

"Doctor we have to follow him!" They quickly jumped on Lilly and Trigger. Before they took off, the leader and his gang escaped the saloon. The Doctor and Clara took off after Sam.

"Get after them you idiots!" The gang mounted their horses and quickly went after them. Clara and the Doctor galloped through the forest towards what they hoped was Sam's camp, dodging tree branches and avoiding large rocks along the trail.

"Doctor! Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Not really – we can't slow down Clara, they're close behind!" As Clara passed a tree, bark splintered from a bullet hitting her shoulder. She looked behind to see the leader on his big brown horse catching up to her.

"Doctor!" He looked behind as a bullet whizzed past him. He suddenly slowed down allowing Clara to get in front of him.

"Split up Clara!" The Doctor tried to focus the gang's attention on himself as Clara rode towards the left. Another bullet plumed dust next to Lilly's feet and she ran faster as the Doctor rode towards the right. The leader signaled for the average man to follow Clara as he and the shorter man went after the Doctor.

Clara reflexively ducted as a bullet hit a boulder next to her. She rode between trees and rocks making it harder to follow her, but it slowed her down as well. Clara realized she was riding near the creek and searched for somewhere she could hide. She spotted a bank tall enough to hide her and Trigger up ahead. Behind her the man was loosing ground. She speed up and rode into more bushes and trees, then quickly rode down the bank, jumped off of Trigger, pushing him alongside the moist embankment, and tried to stay quiet with her and Trigger's loud breathing.

* * *

The Doctor wracked his brain for a way to escape, but continued to get distracted by the flying bullets that kept missing him. A small tree branch cut his lower high as he ran past it, giving him more distractions. Suddenly a blur of red fur ran past him towards the bandits. He looked back to see Red charging the short man's horse causing the horse to rear up in fear. The man riding him fell to the ground and the horse took off in the other direction chased by Red. The Doctor reminded himself to thank Red later then ducted as bark flew at him from a stray bullet. As the Doctor looked behind at the leader he noticed Sam quickly catching up to him and returning fire. Sam caught up the to leader and somehow broke the cinch of the leader's saddle. He immediately lost balance and the horse through the leader to the ground with the saddle, then took off running in another direction. Sam continued past him and caught up with the Doctor who stopped running.

"Keep going!" The Doctor quickly followed Sam to escape the Leader completely. "Where's Miss Clara?"

"We split up – we have to find her, one of the man followed her." Sam halted Clyde forcing the Doctor to do the same.

"Which way did she go? And why did you leave her? You never leave her!" The Doctor felt his stupidity and pointed towards the west. Sam took off and the Doctor suddenly realized something Sam said; how does he know he never leaves her? This thought brought back the uncomfortable nagging feeling in his mind, but again he had no time to ponder on it because Sam was leaving him behind. He took off following Sam in search of Clara.

* * *

**History**: Collis Potter Huntington owned a small store in Hangtown before moving on to the railroad industry becoming one of the Big Four of the Central Pacific Railroad. Lotta Crabtree was a famous singer who entertained miners during the gold rush. Also, if you're wondering, Levi Strauss invented 'Levi's' during the gold rush and they quickly became popular because it could withstand the hard work of mining gold.

**Author note**: Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I promise there will be more fluff later on ;)


	3. Watched

**Chasing Hearts**

**Author note: **Since I will be unable to write until next week I decided to release this chapter early. Since I forgot to mention this before, this story takes place sometime before The Name of the Doctor. Thanks again for all of your feedback, it's very encouraging! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3 – Watched**

Clara's heart beat heavily in her ears as Trigger's panting warmed her arm. The heavy footsteps of the man's horse came to a stop just above her. She tried to quiet slow her heart and quiet Trigger's breathing by hugging his face. Dirt fell on their heads from the overhanging embankment as the bandit's horse moved his feet from anxiety. Trigger began to nudge off Clara's embrace so he could breathe better, but she reluctantly hung on. Trigger's movements caused the metal links on the bridge to lightly jingle. Clara held her breath in anticipation of being caught. The bandit kicked his horse and ran off following the creek upstream. She released her hold from Trigger and they both breathed deep breaths. Still on edge, she climbed on Trigger's back and brushed off the dirt from his mane. "That was a close one eh?" They climbed back up the embankment and galloped downstream.

At a slower pace than before they weaved through trees and rocks hoping to find something familiar. She pulled back on the reins and they came to a full stop. "Have we been here before?" Trigger snorted as Clara looked around her. It all looked the same, how was she ever going to find the Doctor? The sun was beginning to slip away behind the mountains threatening darkness. A loud crack snapped behind her startling Trigger causing him to flinch. The bandit must have come caught up to her somehow. She gently kicked Trigger's sides and they took off into a run through the trees. They followed a narrow dirt trail running faster and faster away from hoof beats in the distance. Suddenly Trigger dropped his hind legs sliding to a stop as Clyde cut in front of him nearly throwing Sam from his bare back. Lilly skidded to a stop, bumping into Clyde's rear pushing them forward.

"Clara! You're safe!" Red barked in agreement with the Doctor as he appeared from behind them.

"I've been looking for you boys." Clara felt stress release from her knowing the Doctor was safe, but it was replaced with resentment for forcing them to split up. He could have been shot and she could have wondered the forest never able to find him in time. They could have died! His reckless plan put a target on his back – for her. The thought that he would die for her was frustrating, she's not sure why, but she feels like she spent all this time trying to keep him safe! And he just goes and throws it away for her. Exasperating indeed.

"I'm glad you're safe Miss Clara. I reckon them outlaws won't be searchin' for us till dawn – by then we'll be back at my camp. It's hard to find so we should be safe there." Sam readjusted himself and turned towards the northwest. "Come on, this way." The Doctor and Clara gladly followed behind Sam, exhausted from their pursuit. Red had his ears trained at the brush behind them, intently focused at the waxy green leaves. Sam whistled and he reluctantly turned to catch up.

As they rode off the average man, still on a horse, emerged from the waxy leaved bushes. He pushed up the sleeve of his black duster coat and pressed a button on the side of a silver metal bracelet. "I've got 'em boss." He shook down his sleeve and quietly followed the unsuspecting group from a safe distance.

Along the slow trek back to camp, the Doctor's mind pondered on his growing suspicions of Sam. As if Sam could hear the Doctor's stare, he glanced back at him with curious eyes. The Doctor avoided eye contact by fiddling with his reins. How had Sam uncinched the outlaw's saddle so fast without cutting the horse? Why did he run leaving us behind? Was he protecting something? Gold maybe? There's something Sam is keeping from him. The Doctor doesn't like being lied to. His thoughts dispersed at the arrival of Sam's camp.

"Back just in time 'fore dark settles in." Sam jumped from Clyde bare back and brushed the horse hair from his legs while Clyde shook loose hair from his back. The Doctor stepped down from the saddle and felt the painful reminder of the gash in his leg. Not wanting to look vulnerable, he kept from limping as much as possible and gave Lilly to Sam. Clara hopped from Trigger and dusted herself off remembering the bits of dirt in her hair. She raised her left arm to pet Trigger's neck, but splinters tugged her skin restricting her range of motion, so she settled for rubbing his face as he lowered it for her. Sam tied up Lilly and Clyde before taking Trigger from Clara. "Doctor could you grab those saddle bags off Lilly? Should be some food and new oil for the lantern." Sam grabbed Trigger's saddle bags and through them over his shoulder as the Doctor untied Lilly's saddle bags. "I suppose y'all be needin something to eat." He gestured for them to sit on the log by the fire pit.

"I am a little hungry." Clara absent mindedly rubbed her stomach. Sam got the fire going as the sun's rays fully disappeared behind the trees. He lit the lantern for extra light and handed them each a biscuit. The cuts and splinters on Clara's shoulder was now much more visible as the blood reflected in the fire light.

"Clara, you're bleeding." The Doctor grabbed her arm to inspect the damage, sitting closer to her. She pulled her arm away in protest.

"It's just a couple of splinters, I'm fine Doctor, really. Leave it be." Sam rested his hand on his coat pocket like before, but then grabbed a canvas rucksack from one of the saddle bags and handed it to the Doctor.

"Best be safe – let me have a look." Clara stood refusing his help.

"I said I'm fine, just a scratch. Honestly I can take care of myself." She crossed her arms in defense. She grabbed the sack of medical supplies and the lantern then headed for the tent. "You boys just worry about yourselves. Good night Sam." Sam tipped his hat as she headed for the tent.

"Not to worry Doctor, it's been a long day. Why don't you go on and get some shut-eye, me and Sam here'll watch the fire." The Doctor stood, straightening his coat and adjusting his hat. "Oh, and Doctor, best take care of that." Sam pointed to the gash in his leg. "There ain't no stitches in that bag, but I'm sure you've something of your own." The Doctor furrowed his brow at Sam's implication. "You know – bein' a Doctor and all." Sam ignored his questioning gaze and stared into the dancing fire. "Rest well, Doctor." Sam continued to stare at the fire and rubbed behind Red's ears. The Doctor opened his mouth as if to say something, but his concern for Clara presided and he walked towards the tent nearly tripped over a rock.

Sam relaxed his shoulders once the Doctor left. Red laid his head in Sam's lap, whining for more attention. He smiled then hugged Red's neck. Red's relaxed muscles suddenly became tense and he stood up, hackles rising. He faced the darkness behind the camp and began growling. The horses snorted in excitement. Sam almost reached for his pocket, but settled on his firearm. "What is it boy?" Red took a few steps further and lowered his head with his hackles standing on end. The bushes rustled. A porcupine burst through the bush enticing a chase from Red. Sam hollered for him to stop. "You better not! I ain't pickin' needles outta your face again!" Red gave up the chase and returned to Sam's side. Sam relaxed his hand from the holstered gun and scanned the camp once more before sitting back down. "Let's hope we don't have anymore company."

The man lowered his aim from Sam and slid his gun back in the holster, his cover nearly blown. With a sigh of relief, he quietly backed up his horse and trotted off into the night.

Clara cringed as she held a damp cloth to her shoulder. She didn't know anything about medicine in 1850's America and half the bottles had no labels, so she decided to stick with water. Gently she wiped away the dry blood, but the irritation made it bleed again. Her skin was hot under her hand and she sighed in frustration. The Doctor entered the tent and took off his coat and hat, setting them aside. She sat up straighter to prove she was fine. "Clara?" He hesitantly sat down cross legged facing her. "Please? Let me see? It's hard to fix anything with one hand – besides, I am a Doctor." His gentle gaze softened her need for a strong appearance.

"Of medicine?" She removed the cloth and the Doctor gently grabbed her arm, scooting closer to her left side.

"I'm a Doctor in many things." He placed her hand on his left shoulder so both of his were free. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and inched even closer to her. His shin pressed against the length of her left thigh. She felt her cheeks grow warm and looked away from him. Clara's subtle body language never went unnoticed by the Doctor. However, being noticed and interpreting are two completely different things. "Have I done something wrong?" Clara ignored his lack of personal space and turned her head to face him.

"Why are you so reckless?"

"Reckless?" The Doctor took out his screwdriver and scanned her arm.

"Yes! Reckless! Half your plans include painting yourself red and waiting for a bull to ram you through." His eyes met hers as he stopped examining his screwdriver. "Just – get on with it." She turned her face away from him to tame the threat of tears. The Doctor hadn't thought of how his plans we're often laden with danger towards him personally.

"All of my plans involve keeping my friends safe. I guess – I assume... Clara, humans are fragile." He changed the frequency of his screwdriver and pointed it at one of the large splinters. It slowly began to protrude far enough for him to pull it out. Clara tightened her grip on his shoulder at the sudden increase of pain. "I don't want you to fade... from me." The intimacy from his comment caught her off guard and instantly turned her anger into empathy. The Doctor pulled out another splinter and she tensed up again. The last one was at least a half inch thick and deeper than the others. It was already sticking out far enough to be pulled out. He watched Clara carefully and made sure her attention was elsewhere. Quickly, but gently he pulled out the piece of bark.

"Ouch!" Clara pulled her arm close to her and covered it with her free hand. Blood trickled between her fingers as she scrunched her eyes shut in pain. The Doctor grabbed her wrist and slowly moved it away from the wound.

"That was the last one. Let me clean it." She opened her watery eyes and placed her aching arm back on his left shoulder. He patted around the wound with a clean wet cloth. After wiping his hands he grabbed his sonic again, buzzing it over her wound. She watched as the blood quickly clotted, stopping most of the bleeding. Setting the screwdriver aside he leaned his right side around her back to reach for the bag she took. His cheek brushed against she shoulder blade and she could feel his breath on her neck. The heat of her blush burned her ears, and she was thankful the lantern's dim light hid her completion. The Doctor grabbed a new white cloth and tore it to make a few long strips. He wrapped them arm her arm and tied it gently. "See? All better, eh?" He grabbed her right hand and cleaned the blood off with the wet cloth. She let go of his shoulder while he cleaned her hand. Looking down at their hands she realized the gash in his leg.

"What about yourself? That doesn't look so good, Doctor." He straightened his left leg along side the front of her crossed legs to get a better look, unintentionally changing their position to her almost in his lap.

"I'll be alright. Time Lords heal faster than humans, I've had worse – nothing to worry about." Clara placed a hand around the gash taking a better look.

"Should still clean it up, best be safe remember?" The Doctor found it hard to focus with Clara's hand on the middle of his thigh and her body leaning close to him.

"Yes – Yes I suppose." Clara put more water on the cloth he used and draped it over the wound. He adjusted his sonic screwdriver and handed it to her. "Here, hold this..." He wrapped her fingers around it and guided her hand to hover over the gash. "...like this." She did as he asked while he sopped up the dry and not so dry blood. He grabbed another cloth and tore it into strips like before. As she held the screwdriver and its low humming noise, she noticed the gash beginning to scab over. The Doctor wrapped his leg and she handed him back the sonic. "There, all better. You should rest, Clara – big things to investigate tomorrow." He crawled over to the edge of the bedding and laid on his right side avoiding pressure on his leg.

"Investigate? What've we got to investigate?" She joined him and laid on her back with her head facing his. He pulled the blanket over her and grabbed his coat to cover himself.

"Loads of things, but for now get some rest." He blew out the flame from the lantern and settled back into his spot on the edge.

The Doctor woke from pain on his chest. He looked down to see Clara's small hands clinging to his waist coat and her face buried in his chest. The dark of midnight almost hid the tear that slid down his cheek. He realized she was having a nightmare and wrapped his strong arms around her trying to give her comfort. "You're safe, Clara." His gentle whisper seemed to reach her and she loosened her death grip from his waist coat. Groggy with sleep, he decided to hold her until morning.

The horses stomped the ground and neighed loudly. The Doctor and Clara opened their startled eyes to find themselves in each other's arms. They sat up quickly releasing each other.

"Got cold did you?" The Doctor ran a hand through his hair avoiding Clara's awkward question.

"Well, you sort of had a nightmare." She rubbed her sore shoulder trying to forget the vivid dream of being chased through the words by a dark figure. The horses' neighs broke their awkward stand off.

"What's going on Doctor?" They ran outside looking for Sam. Trigger reared up nearly tangling his lead rope in his hoof. "Where's Sam?" Hoof beats in the distance agitated the horses even more.

"I don't know! We need to run!" The Doctor grabbed her hand and took off running towards what he hoped was Sam's mine. The ran around a huge tree trunk and saw Red get up from his resting spot next to the mine's entrance into the mountain. Red greeted them happily, but it was cut short as men on horseback surrounded them, backing them up to the mine. The leader dismounted his black horse and walked towards the Doctor, his hand on his holstered pistol.

"Thanks for leading us to that coward's gold. I knew them strange clothes don't belong in this time. Tell me mister, what are you here for?" The Doctor instinctively stepped in front of Clara. This outlaw was not ordinary. It all felt wrong, the mention of displaced time, going this far for gold, Sam's odd behavior? What was going on? As the man drew his gun, the Doctor grabbed Clara and ran into the mine with Red on their heels. "Don't just sit there, get after 'em!" The leader's gang jumped from their horses and ran into the mine after them


	4. Into the Mine

**Chasing Hearts**

**Author Note: **Here's a new chapter! Sorry it's a little shorter than the last one, but a lot of excitement happens. I really appreciate the reviews, it's nice to reflect on what the readers like or dislike about the story, so keep expressing your opinions! And for those of you curious about Sam I have one hint for you, pay attention to his reactions throughout the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and tell me about your thoughts on Sam! :)

**Chapter 4 – Into the Mine**

The Doctor pulled Clara through the cool dark tunnels, turning left and right trying to loose the outlaws and unnoticeably loosing Red. The tunnels became so dark the Doctor abruptly stopped. Clara almost ran past him but his hand gripping hers pulled her back. "What is it? Doctor we have to keep moving!"

"Look around Clara. Can you see? What if we run right into a wall or fall down a chasm? No good running when we can see where we're going." She became aware of their blindness and slightly tightened her grip on the Doctor's hand.

"What now? They can find us any moment!" She felt the Doctor place his other hand on her shoulder, sliding down to find her free hand and grabbing it.

"Stay calm, Clara. Listen." The only sound to touch her ears was their breathing, slightly echoing of the stone walls around them. "We've outrun them – safe for now." He released one of her hands and Clara heard cloth ruffling. The low hum of the sonic reverberated on the now green tinted walls. "There we go – no more dark."

"But Doctor, your screwdriver isn't a torch. Are you sure it won't, I don't know, collapsed anything on us with it's sonic-y science-y thing?" He smiled at her clever mind, but his smile was short lived.

"Ah – well yes and no." He began walking back the way they came and pulled her along with their still intertwined hands.

"Which is it? Can't be both – what do you mean both?" The Doctor stopped to face her, sonic still lowly humming as it illuminated the tunnel green.

"Yes, can't really turn off the sonic – but I can put it on the lowest level of frequency, hopefully low enough to keep the tunnels stable, at least long enough to find a way out." He turned and briskly walked down the tunnel before she had time to properly express her discomfort.

"Great. We're wondering through a mine with a sonic screwdriver as a torch that could potentially collapse the place, have I missed anything?" A slight hint of orange light began to reflect against the tunnel walls, dimming the green.

"We're being chased by an angry group of gold hungry thieves with guns."

"Great. Thanks. I feel so much better." They walked out into the opening only to be welcomed by gunfire. A bandit with a lantern shot at them sending chips of rock flying from the walls. They ducted their heads and ran around the corner into another tunnel. They ran through the barely lit tunnel into another fork. Flickering light crept up from the left tunnel. The Doctor pulled them into the right tunnel only to find it dead ended with a two foot thick chasm stretching along the floor of the back wall. He quickly scanned the sonic around the room as light from both sides of the tunnel increased with the sound of heavy footsteps. "Doctor, what do we do?"

"Hush, thinking." He continued to fiddle with the sonic. As it began to flicker the Doctor hit it against his hand until it hummed green like normal again. Clara looked at the encroaching light and back to the Doctor.

"Doctor!" She urged him in a whispered yell. He flicked the sonic and smiled with delight at its findings.

"Gotcha."

* * *

Sam's whistling bounced of the illuminated cave walls. Chipping away at the glossy white and gray quartz walls, his eye catches a shimmer. He shifts on his knees and chips away at the quartz with his small pickaxe. A chunk fell to the ground and exposed a shimmering gold vein spreading across the quartz light a lightning bolt. "Ah, would ya look at that." Before getting too excited his put down his pickaxe and pulled out a worn pocket knife. Cautiously he scratched the gold surface. Little flakes of gold fell to the ground and Sam sighed heavily before sitting back down. "Damn, fool's gold. I have to be close, I just know it!"

The sound of muffled gunfire made him flinch in surprise. Reflexively one hand covered his pistol strapped to his side and the other covered the left side of his vest. He stood to his feet and dimmed his lantern as low as possible without snuffing out the flame. Drawing his gun and standing with his back against one side of the short tunnel, he quietly side stepped to the edge to peak around the corner. The tunnel looked as dark as it was before, but the gunfire stopped. His ears rung with dark silence and his death grip on the gun's handle slightly loosened. He emerged from the short tunnel with his side bag and lantern, but kept his gun at the ready and his lantern low. When he reached the four-way opening, he stuck close to the wall and peered around it. A dim orange light lightly danced along the wall of the tunnel to his right. He blew out his lantern and quietly waited in the shadow, his gun aimed at the tunnel. Footsteps began to echo through the tunnel as they approached. A man in a black duster coat appeared in the opening of the four tunnels. He shown his lantern around the place and firmly held a pistol in the other hand.

Sam very slowly pulled back the hammer on his gun, but it still gave a soft click that grabbed the man's attention. He quickly turned around in the direction of Sam and cocked his gun. Sam's hand betrayed him and shook with nerves. He steadied it against the edge of the tunnel with his other hand. He's never used it on a person before, not for killing. The man walked closer, diminishing the shadow Sam was hiding in. Sam closed his eyes and slowly put pressure on the trigger. Suddenly large rocks broke free of the ceiling and landed on the man, crushing him. Somewhat relieved he emerged from his hiding place. Blood pooled from beneath the rocks and Sam knew with that much gone, the man could not survive.

Sam lit his lantern and continued down the tunnel. Bits of rock and dust fell from the ceiling above him. He shook his head to let it fall from his hat and continued on careful not to disturb the odd instability. As the tunnel curved to the left, he noticed the sound of two men walking around. He clung to the curved wall with his gun ready to fire despite his hesitation.

* * *

"Gotcha? Gotcha's good right?" The Doctor put his screwdriver in his pocket and placed his hands on Clara's shoulders.

"Trust me?"

"Sort of." The Doctor pushed her over to the small chasm. "Whoa, hold on. I am not jumping down a crack in the ground leading to who-knows-where."

"Don't be silly, you won't be jumping." She looked over her shoulder and furrowed her brow at him. "You'll be rolling." The approaching lights were almost at the entrance to the dead ended tunnel. Clara turned to protest but the Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the dark crevasse. She tightly put her arms around his waist, ready for the sensation of falling. The sensation never came, it was replaced with a thud to the ground and no space to move. The Doctor and Clara were pressed against each other, pinned between two black rocked walls. They had only fallen a couple of feet down, but it was enough to effectively hide themselves.

The tight space prevented their arms from wrapping around each other, forcing them to be on each other's sides instead. "Doc-" The Doctor placed his finger on her lips.

"They're coming." His whisper quieted her demand for answers and she was reminded of their current danger. In the quiet, she realized just how close they were. Every part of her body was against his. If it wasn't for her height, she feared their lips would have been inches apart. Her cheeks flushed at the thought and she hid her face in his shoulder. The men were almost at the tend of the tunnel, their lanterns lighting it up. In the quiet, she took comfort in the lull of his heartbeats. A pointed rock irritated her shoulder blade and she shifted slightly trying to alleviate it. The Doctor's hearts beat a little faster and something pressed against her left hip.

"Doctor."

"Sorry! Sonic, in pocket – hush!" Their whispers appeared to go unnoticed by the approaching outlaws. They stopped as the came upon the end of the tunnel.

"You said they came this way!" The man shoved the other bandit.

"They did! I seen 'em run right down here! They must a run past you, how'd you miss 'em?"

"No I ain't missed nothing. This is your fault, boss is gonna cut you loose if he knows you let 'em go." The ceiling near the beginning of the tunnel creaked as debris dropped from above. "We best move on brother." The man with the dominating attitude began to walk away.

"Wait, how's 'bout over here? Suppose'n they fell down there?" He stepped closer to the edge of the crevasse. Clara closed her eyes and clutched her fingers around the Doctor's vest. The Doctor covered their heads with his arm.

_Bark! _

The men quickly turned away from the crevasse. "It's that dog again! Come on!" They ran down the tunnel, but a loud crash reverberated off the walls. "Brother! Hey wake up! Dammit! I knew we should a just blew the place up!" Clara could here the man's throat tighten around his words with sorrow. The click of a gun's hammer was heard and Clara could feel the Doctor's muscles tense. "How's there? I know you's there just come out real slow and I's won't shoot you dead." The was no response and the Doctor reached for his screwdriver. She could here his hearts beat even faster now. He barely retrieved the sonic after having to put his hand between himself and her inner hip. Clara flinched at the sound of bullets hit rock. Gunfire was exchanged between the outlaw and a mystery party until the outlaw yelled out in pain and metal clanged against the hard ground.

Clara wanted to peer up above the ledge, but the Doctor gently held her shoulder down and put his finger on his lips to gesture silence. Footsteps walked down the tunnel towards them again, but it was accompanied by another sound, a light tapping noise. It came closer and closer until suddenly Red's panting face hovered over them. He excitedly licked their faces and the Doctor lightly swatted him away. "Alright, alright! We're glad you're alive too, and yes Clara's fine." Sam looked down upon them.

"Seems you've found yourself in a bit a trouble Doctor." Sam extended his hand for Clara as she dislodged herself from the Doctor. They both dusted themselves off and the Doctor scanned the crevasse with his sonic, but it threatened to die on him again.

"Magnetite."

"Magne-what?" Clara questioned the Doctor but her focus was on hugging Red.

"Magnetite. Blackish mineral found mainly on Earth – quiet fascinating really, they are almost magnetic, some actually become lodestones – imagine, a magnetic rock!" His fascination seemed irrelevant to her. He cleared his throat to regain his composure and put again his sonic. "That's why it looks like a deep chasm, it's made of magnetite, reflecting black in the dim lighting giving the delusion of depth."

"That's great Doc, we need to get out of here. There must a been some sort a earth quake or somethin' to make the mine unstable. And why are those thieves from Hangtown runnin' loose chasin' people?"

"Well, the stability problem might have been my doing, but the being chased part – no, also my doing." Red silenced their conversation with a deep growl at the tunnel entrance. "No time for talking, run!" He grabbed Clara's hand and followed Sam down the tunnel.

"Come on, this way. There's another way out, if we can get to the horses we can make a run for it." As they reached the opening for the four tunnels, the remaining outlaws had almost caught up. They shot at them and Sam fired back, covering the Doctor and Clara as they entered a new tunnel. Not long after they ran did the other two bandits turn the corner to follow them. Bullets resumed their destruction of quartz walls around them. Sam returned fire as they ran, but his bullets were running thin. Bits of rocks flew at them from both sides. Clara felt a sudden dull heat on her side right, a rock must have scratched her so she ignores it and keeps running. Sam briefly stopped running to steady his aim and shot one of the bandits in the heart. The outlaw's partner never flinched and continued his pursuit. Sam lost his breath as pain impaled his left shoulder. He fell to his knees gasping for air. Red barked at the Doctor desperate for his attention.

"Sam! Doctor, help him!" They stopped in their tracks and ran back to Sam. The Doctor lifted him up by placing Sam's right arm over his neck.

"I'm fine! Just winded is all."

"Come on, Sam – we have to keep moving. Clara, grab the sonic – right pocket." She quickly grabbed the screwdriver as they stumbled along as quickly as Sam could move. "Point it behind us, imagine the ceiling vibrating loose – but make sure you point it far enough behind us." Sam and the Doctor continued on as Clara stopped and aimed the sonic screwdriver at the rocks behind them, pressed the button and it hummed to life. It flickered like before, so Clara hit it like the Doctor did and it seemed to work. The thief was almost close enough to fire at her with his reloaded pistol when the ceiling collapsed between them. She briefly smiled at her achievement and ran to catch up to the Doctor. The tunnel became smaller and smaller until it ended, but light was still seeping through somehow.

"What now? Sam? Where's your way out? Doctor, do you have a plan?" Sam was focused more on breathing, but was now able to stand on his own. The Doctor touched and sniffed at the rock walls.

"Sonic." He opened his hand expectantly at Clara until she relinquished it to him. He tried scanning the walls with it, but struggled as it flickered worse than before.

"Doctor, the rocks is loose up top there." Sam pointed above the Doctor and he shown his half working sonic at the ceiling.

"Ah! Perfect, just on the other side of this ceiling is the outside world. You three stand back, I'll have to dislodge them." Clara, Sam, and Red backed away as they were told. The Doctor strained his dysfunctional sonic at the loose ceiling. The sonic hummed loudly and sporadically as the rocks began to fall. He quickly got out of the way and the rest of it collapsed, releasing a wave of cool fresh air. The doctor closed his screwdriver and stuck it in his pocket. "Come on then, let's get moving."


	5. Gone

**Chasing Hearts**

**Author Note: **Thank you all for your support! And cookie, thank you so much for your review! Since you reviewed as a guest I couldn't respond. It is encouraging to know readers are enjoying the story and my writing feels true to the Doctor and Clara's characters. Keep up the reviews to let me know what you think! This chapter is a little longer and packed full of humany wumany goodness. I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 5 – Gone**

Sam breathed heavy as he led his friends through the crowded forest. Mainly on a down slope, running was easier for him as long as he held his left arm against his chest to steady his shoulder. Red ran out in front of them as if it was a game, but before he reached a clearing Sam whistled for him. They stopped behind dense bushes and Sam peered between its leaves. With a hushed voice he turned back towards the Doctor and Clara. "Looks like they ain't there, the horses is calm and I don't see nobody. We just have to cross the creek, get on, and run, oh and don't worry, the creek's real shallow – won't go past your knees."

Sam gestured silence with his finger on his lips and started walking around the bush and down the bank of the shallow creek. The Doctor grabbed Clara's had and led her down the same path. Red leaped in bounds across the cold water splashing Sam as he ran by. The disturbance made the horses riled up. They nickered and snorted with energy. Red reached the other side and shook off the cold water then waited with a wagging tail. All the ruckus signaled their presence and angry voices echoed from afar. "Red! Look what you did!" Sam felt guilty at Red's sudden apology. He lowered his head and tucked his tail between his legs before licking Sam's hand as he reached the other side of the creek. The Doctor and Clara ran through the water splashing through and soaking half their clothes. Clara ran to Trigger and hugged his neck. He seemed to calm down in her presence and she quickly hopped up into the saddle as the Doctor helped Sam onto Clyde then raced to grab his coat before he jumped on Lily. One of the men emerged from the trees across the camp, but before he could shoot at them the Doctor led them to the right, towards where they left the TARDIS.

"This way! Come on!" Red barked at the Doctor as he ran beside the horses. "Yes! Of course I know where I'm going!" They weaved around trees and over-grown brush. Clara looked behind her, but she could only hear the hoof beats around her. She looked back around and quickly ducted to avoid a low hanging branch. She then held on tight to the saddle horn as Trigger leaped over a fallen tree trunk. The jump caused her side to sear with pain where she almost forgot about getting hurt. She grabbed her side and felt warm, thick liquid cover her palm. This is when she noticed the Doctor and Sam were spread apart running almost parallel to her instead of in front of her. The trees and boulders narrowed their pathways and caused them to be further apart. Clara's path soon inclined as Sam and the Doctor's declined. She lightly pulled on the reins to slow Trigger down and stopped as the path split three ways.

"Which way boy?" They looked at the separate paths, one led further up hill, one was ragged with stones and bushes, and the other descended down the hill. "Let's go down hill, I bet we'll meet up with them again." She gently kicked his sides to signal forward, but Trigger whined and shook his head up and down, refusing to go. "What's wrong? Come on, let's go! What are you afraid of?" She petted Trigger's tense neck to try and calm him down. Hair stuck to her hand with his sweat. Wiping her hand on her leg, she urged him forward again and he obeyed.

* * *

The Doctor focused on avoiding tree branches and outstretched bushes, but then realized he was too far apart from his companions. He looked over at Clara jumping over a fallen tree and holding her side, was she ok? Then she started to ride up a hill as he rode down. Sam was closer to him as was on a downgrade as well. Sam was not looking very focused and Clyde was doing most of the work – he must be lightheaded from blood loss. He needed to keep everyone together, those outlaws are still following them. "Sam! Sam! Stay focused! Clara's gone a different path! We need to stay together!" Sam shook his head to stimulate his awareness. He looked up as Trigger disappeared into the trees up the hill. He knew where she would end up and curved to the left along the slant of the hill.

"This way, Doctor!" The Doctor and Red followed Sam, hooves throwing dust in their wake. "She'll probably head down hill, that path reconnects with this one a ways down." A faint sound of a neighing horse came from above them and they pushed Clyde and Lily faster. Ahead of them came the sound of another horse neighing. They must be closing in from different directions.

"She's in trouble, Sam! Come on, faster!" They picked up the pace even more. Sweat soaked into the Clyde and Lily's fur, turning their necks an even darker brown. Their ears pinned back as they panted heavily with every stride. Red barely kept up, drool dripping from his wide open mouth, trying to breathe in as much air as he could.

* * *

The sharp descent turned into flat ground and Clara pushed Trigger into a run. A horse neighed from up ahead. "We must be getting close!" Clara's smile ceased and Trigger slid to a stop. An outlaw on a chestnut horse with a white stripe on its face stood before her. He put the rifle up to his shoulder and aimed for her. A blur of brown ran straight into him knocking the outlaw to the ground. The Doctor held on tight to Lily as she stumbled over the other horse's feet. The other horse took off running before the Doctor could stop Lily. The outlaw stood up quickly and repositioned his rifle at her again. Trigger let out a shilling scream and reared on his hide legs sending Clara to the ground. He charged the outlaw and knocking him to the ground. Trigger brought his heavy hooves down on the man crushing him as a loud bang cracked through the forest. Trigger squealed and fell to the ground. The Doctor turned around as Sam arrived next to them. Clara stared at Trigger lying on the forest floor.

"Clara! Are you ok?" The Doctor jumped from Lily and helped her to her feet. She felt her eyes burn and her cheeks become warm. Sam dismounted from Clyde with a grunt of pain from his shoulder. He walked over to Trigger and sat on his knees. He gently petted Trigger's face and looked at the blood seeping from a hole in his once strong chest. The Doctor held Clara's arms and tried to keep her from going to him. "There's nothing we can do. Clara, look at me." She looked into his eyes with tears spilling over. "This is not your fault, he protected you when I couldn't." The Doctor looked down at his failure and the guilt of yet another soul to die at his hands. Clara gently put a shaking hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes as if to say _it's not your fault either_. He let go as she walked over to where Trigger lay and fell to her knees behind his head. She picked up his head and laid it in her lap. His breathing was raspy and blood trickled from his nostrils. His dark brown eye glanced over at her while she stroked his neck.

"Thank you, Trigger." The sparkle of life faded from his eye and his last breath escaped his once mighty lungs. She put her hand over his eyes and lowered his eye lids. Tears dropped on his creamy brilliant fur. Red whined and licked a tear from Clara's face. She stood up and wiped her tears away. "Others are coming, lets get moving. Doctor, looks like I'll need a ride." Sam tipped his hat for his old friend, but his expression was different from loss. It almost looked like he already felt the pain of this loss and it was just another goodbye.

"Little help, Doctor?" Sam broke the Doctor's trance of guilt. He stroked Trigger's neck then went to give Sam a boost onto Clyde's back. Clara followed him over to Lily.

"Up you go." The Doctor held Lily's reins as Clara hopped onto the saddle. The stirrups were too long and her feet dangled just above them. She scooted all the way forward to give the Doctor enough room. He put his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up behind her. The saddle was fairly big, allowing them both enough room to be comfortable, but Clara's back was still up against him. He reached around her to grab the reins from her and she held onto the saddle horn encased in his arms. "This way, Sam." The Doctor kicked Lily into a soft gallop and Sam and Red followed behind. After a few minutes of galloping in silence, the Doctor pulled Lily back into a walk. He pulled out his sonic and scanned around them. It sputtered green and hummed brokenly. He sighed before putting it back in his pocket. "I think we've lost them. No guns detected within a mile radius."

Clara quickly realized the Doctor was leading them to where he parked the TARDIS. "Doctor, are we heading for the TARDIS? What about Sam? We can't leave yet, there's still danger here. Besides, I know you know more then you're letting on." The Doctor glanced down at her face turned to him. He glanced back at Sam who was slouched over paying no attention to their conversation.

"Not to worry, I just need to check something. I'll be quick." She looked forward and wondered what the Doctor was hiding from her. The stain of blood on the Doctor's right arm caught her eye. She was about to say something, but realized he was not bleeding, she was. In case he hadn't noticed yet, she kept it to herself; no need to rile the Doctor up over a cut. Besides, it barely hurt – more of a dull ache really. They reached a familiar area only to be welcomed with a rough shape of a square disturbed in the soft dirt. The TARDIS was gone. "Oh no." The Doctor got down from Lily and frantically scanned the dirt with spurts of green humming. He followed the drag marks until the turned into wagon grooves. "They stole the TARDIS!" The Doctor ran a hand through his hair barely noticing the red on his shirt sleeve.

"Calm down, we'll get her back." His rage lessened at her choosing the word _her_ instead of _it_. "Why don't we just follow the trail, we're bound to find them." He stuck the screwdriver back in his pocket.

"No, no we don't want another shoot out. I suppose we could follow them if we stay unnoticed." The Doctor pondered as he wrung his hands together.

"We best get a move on and find some kind a shelter. Night's coming, we don't want wanna be caught in the open." Sam started walking down the trail of the wagon grooves. The Doctor got back on Lily and followed Sam down the trail. Clara found her thoughts drifting to Trigger. Maybe if she would have stayed closer to the Doctor he'd still be alive. Her thoughts then jumped to the Doctor. How many times has he lost someone dear to him? There's no way you can live for that long and not loose someone. How painful it must be, but he stills has the strength to open his hearts to new friends. The Doctor noticed Clara's mind was somewhere else. Worried she was still dwelling on guilt, he kissed the back of her head to get her attention. She seemed to have snapped back to reality.

"Clara? Are you ok?" The Doctor felt her take a deep breath against his chest.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked at the fading sky between the trees. With the adrenaline gone, she began to feel the tired aches and pains become a fore front in her mind. She leaned back against the Doctor and let him support her. She felt her eyes become heavy, but a loud thud surprised her and she sat up straighter. "Sam!" They both dismounted Lily and ran over to Sam. He sat up, his arm gripping his side to support his shoulder.

"Seems I dosed off." Clara helped him to his feet and the Doctor tried to scan him with his screwdriver. It hardly sputtered any green hum, frustrating the Doctor.

"You've lost too much blood. This will have to do for tonight." The Doctor looked around. Off the trail was a large boulder with just enough of an indent to help shelter them. "There. We can make camp there. Clara, take the horses and tie them near by. Sam, go have a seat under that rock. I'll get a fire started." The Doctor gathered enough wood to keep a fire going for good awhile. Then he rummaged through the saddle bag from Lily's saddle. Clara was now next to Sam against the smooth rock. Red curled up beside her and she mindlessly stroked his soft red fur. The Doctor joined them with a handful of supplies. "Here, give me your jacket and take your shirt off." Sam took off his jacket, but refused to give it to the Doctor. He set it down right beside himself and unbuttoned his shirt. Sam slowly pulled his arm out of the sleeve and the Doctor began clearing all the blood draining from the hole. "Lean forward a bit." The Doctor checked the back of his shoulder to find another hole. "Well at least it went all the way through, now I won't have to dig out a bullet." Clara looked away from all the blood to stop feeling slightly queasy.

"Don't worry Doc, I'll live for now." The Doctor's movements stuttered at Sam comment.

"You'll live, Sam." He said it more as a demand than encouragement and Sam looked back at his wound avoiding the Doctor's powerful gaze. He took out his sonic and tried to quicken the healing process of the wound to at least make it scab over. The sonic struggled to come to life and the process took much longer than usual. It finally stopped oozing and the Doctor bandaged it up. Sam put his shirt and jacket back on. The Doctor wrapped a bandage around his wrist and tied it behind his neck. "There, all better." The Doctor moved over to Clara after wiping Sam's blood from his hands. Her eyes were heavy, and the world around her felt fuzzy and blurred. "Clara." The Doctor knew she was injured the moment she jumped over the tree with Trigger, but he didn't realize it was serious until he noticed her blood on his sleeve. He put his hand against her neck and rubbed her check with is thumb. She looked at him, but had trouble keeping her eyes open.

"Doctor... I'm so tired."

"Hey, hey stay awake. I need to fix you, keep your eyes open. Sam could you find some more fire wood?" The Doctor waited until Sam was out of sight. "Clara, can you take off the top part of your dress? I presume you have a full slip underneath." She warily raised an eyebrow at him and enjoyed the slight blush heat his cheeks. She reached to unzip the back, but winched in pain.

"Unzip this for me." He carefully unzipped her dress, trying not to watch as she took her arms out of the sleeves revealing a white, small strapped dress underneath. She pulled it down until the white turned blood soaked. "There you are, now get fixing." She rested her head back against the cool slanted stone. The Doctor gave her a worried look and she kept her eyes open for him. He carefully ripped the dress around the wound slightly to give himself more room.

"This isn't just a scratch, Clara. A bullet grazed you fairly bad. Why did you keep this from me? If you didn't bleed on my shirt I wouldn't have noticed until you collapsed from blood loss!" The Doctor continued cleaning the blood from her side. He was angry at her stubbornness. She should know by now she could trust him, but then a thought crossed the Doctor's mind; _does she trust me_? He refused to look in her eyes and she painfully sat up straighter to get him to pay attention.

"I didn't think it was that bad! It didn't hurt that much, and besides we didn't have time for you to fuss over me." He stopped cleaning and looked into her eyes. His gaze captured hers and wouldn't let go; she wonders if he realizes how powerful his eyes can be.

"I will always fuse over you, Clara. I will always protect you – always help you in anyway I can. I care too much to loose you." She felt guilt wash over her as she looked into the Doctor's eyes. She couldn't help but feel he was talking about more than just cuts and bruises. The pain in his eyes was not just worry over a friend, it was the fear of loss. She felt his breath against her face and realized how close they were. If this were any other man, she would lean in and he'd kiss her, but this was not a man; this was the Doctor. She broke eye contact with him and he continued gently rubbing the blood away from the gash. He grabbed his sonic and smiled when it hummed with green life less sporadically than before. The tender flesh began scabbing over protecting the wound. Once the scab was thick and strong, he switched the screwdriver for a bandage and wrapped it around her abdomen. She held her arms up enough so he could reach around her. When he was done she pulled the top of her dress back up and he zipped it for her.

"See, no need to worry over me." The Doctor gave her another serious look and her smile disappeared.

"This could have been a lot worse. You don't need to hide things from me, Clara." She crossed her arms defensively at his accusation.

"Says the man with secrets." The Doctor lowered his head, giving up on the argument; she was right after all. She looked away from him, still mad at his hypocritical ways. He smiled and kissed her temple. Her rigid posture deflated at his touch and she leaned back against the slanted stone again. He stood up and bumped his head on the rock almost dropping the half-used supplies. She quietly giggled at him as he walked towards the horses to put the supplies away. Sam returned with enough wood to last them through night.

"What ever that green thing is, it sure heals you up quick. My shoulder feels a whole lot better." The Doctor grabbed his coat from the bag and walked back over to Clara. Sam stoked the fire and laid down next to it relaxing in the soft dirt. Within minutes he began softly snoring. The Doctor sat down along side Clara and laid his coat over her. She snuggled in the warmth and scent of his purple, tweed coat. Red got up and turned in a circle before laying back down closer to her and laid his head on her lap.

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor looked at her, but she never opened her weary eyes.

"Much better... tired." Her body felt heavy and she let her head fall against his shoulder. He smiled at the thought of her taking comfort in him. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the smooth rock. He felt his neck become limp and his head gently fell to rest on top of hers into a peaceful sleep.


	6. Blue, Green, and Red

**Chasing Hearts**

**Author Note: **Thank you all for your support! Cookie – thank you so much for your review! Again I can't respond privately to a guest so here it is publicly lol The reviews are wonderfully helpful to me! Here is the next chapter, with a juicy detail revealed about Sam. We're getting closer to finally figuring out who he is! Enjoy!

**Reminder:** This takes place sometime before The Name of the Doctor.

**Chapter 6 – Blue, Green, and Red**

The Doctor woke just before the sun rose. Clara's right arm wrapped under his and limply rested on his leg. Her left hand loosely held his arm at the bend in his elbow as her face slept against his shoulder. He smiled at her peaceful form, and then lace his fingers through her right hand. The sun wasn't quite peaking over the trees yet; he had a few minutes to enjoy her touch a little longer. Sam's soft snoring ceased and he turned over in an effort to sleep a little longer, but Red noticed and left Clara's side to go lick Sam's face. Disgruntled, Sam sat up and stretched. The Doctor felt Clara huddle closer at the absence of Red's warmth. He gently squeezed her hand, and whispered her name to wake her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Hello, Doctor." He smiled as she continued to hold his hand even when she was awake.

"Morning, Clara." He placed his free hand on top of theirs. "What do you say we find the TARDIS and be done with the cold outdoors."

"Yes, no more sleeping on the ground." He stood up without letting her go, then helped her up. Clara felt the scab stretch and threaten to brake, but she held in her reaction to avoid the Doctor's fussiness. Sam dusted himself off with his hat then grabbed the horses.

"Seeing as..." Sam couldn't help but frown at the mention of Trigger. "You two will take Clyde. He's bigger so carrying two people won't be nothing to him." Sam put the saddle on Clyde and handed the Doctor the reins. He jumped on Lily's bare back, and went to examine the wagon tracks. The Doctor recognized the familiar look of loss on Sam's face, but felt the best way to move on is not to mention it. Clara threw his coat at him, but he threw it back at her.

"You keep it. Humans need more warmth than Time Lords – specially female humans." Thankful for the warmth, she slipped on his jacket as he checked Clyde's saddle. "Up you go." He held Clyde in place while she climbed into the saddle, then he climbed up behind her like before. Having her so close to him settled his need to protect her. It was much easier to keep an eye on her when she was up against you. They joined Sam at the beginning of the wagon trail.

"They took off this way, headin' up the mountain. We best be on the lookout for stragglers." They folded Sam as he began to follow the trail.

"Actually, if they're smart – I'm guessing they're not, but their leader seems to be, so maybe – they'll be waiting at the end of the trail for us because they have something I want. There's no need to stop us from getting there now, he probably knows it will lure us in." Sam nodded in agreement and continued along the trail.

"Doctor, who do you suppose they are? I've been watching you, you're holding back information." Clara kept her voice down and watched Sam for any acknowledgement of her conversation.

"The right question is what he is."

"He? Which he? What do you mean what? Not human?"

"The leader, he's not human. My sonic picked up signs of a different life form, but all the others are definitely human. Based on his want of gold, I'm guessing he's Muktarian."

"Muk-what?"

"A Muktary. They're a fairly violent race last I encountered. They use gold to coat their armor for its refection of infrared properties, and they use it for certain weapons due to its high heat and electricity conductibility. He must be hear collecting it for weapons and armor."

"But he looks human to me, does he have one of those things you told me about?"

"Perception filter – probably concealed somewhere on him like a belt buckle, or a necklace – makes you perceive him as human when in reality he's between seven and eight feet tall, furry with a short tail, legs like a dog, a face with a small muzzle, nose similar to a cat, pointy ears, and most likely a nasty under-bite with long protruding canines."

"I'd want a perfection filter too."

"His appearance is not what worries me, Clara. The Muktary are quite smart when it comes to war strategies. He's probably three moves ahead of us already." She turned her head to give him a worried expression. "Not to worry, I might be able to convince him to go back home or at least leave Earth."

"Wonderful. You're going to talk down a violent space alien who makes weapons for a living."

"At least I have a plan!" She giggled at his defense for such a ridiculous plan. They traveled in comfortable silence for a moment until something else came to Clara's mind.

"Doctor, what's wrong with your screwdriver? I've never seen it act like that before. Is it broken?" His gaze fell upon Sam who was meters ahead of them, minding his own business.

"Interference. It's not broken, I just keep picking up interference from somewhere."

"Oh. What do you suppose it is?"

"Not sure, but I'm going to find out." Not satisfied with his answer, Clara reluctantly stopped fishing for more. They again continued in a relaxed silence. The sounds of the forest accompanied by hoof beats and snapping foliage, echoed in their ears.

* * *

Clyde and Lily breathed loudly through their nostrils as they stopped at the top of a hill. Their fur was dark with the spread of sweat. The top of the mountain leveled out into an open meadow with tall, swaying yellow oat grass covering the ground like an ocean of gold.

"The trail ends here. Meadows is good hidin' places if there's a good breeze blowin'." Sam slid off of Lilly's back and rubbed off the hair stuck to his jeans. The Doctor dismounted Clyde and held him as Clara followed.

"They can't of gotten far." The Doctor looked all around him, circling at least once before taking out the sonic. Clara looked out across the field and spotted a large rock formation. She didn't know why, but she couldn't stop staring at it. It looked so out of place, but how does a rock look out of place? She started walking through the meadow, the grass reaching just past her waist. "Clara?" She ignored him and continued walking. "Clara, wait! Where are you going?" He ran towards her and grabbed her hand, bringing her out of her trance.

"Doctor, that's not a rock. Scan that huge thing over there, I don't know what it is, but it's not a rock!" She felt threatened by this huge thing in the middle of the meadow. The Doctor calmed her by gently grabbing the sides of her shoulders.

"Ok, I'll do a scan. Why don't you go get Sam." She looked once more at the formation then walked back over the Sam and Red. Sam unsaddled Clyde and placed the saddle on the ground, then continued to take of Clyde and Lilly's bridles.

"What are you doing?"

"It's bout time I let them go. They've gone far as they can, they won't be needed where were going." He patted their necks one last time before shooing them off. They ran with pleasure, bucking, and dodging until the reached the hill and out of sight.

"What do you mean? How do you know?" Sam avoided her eyes and bent over to pet Red.

"Jus' a feelin' I guess." Clara wanted to question him further, but the Doctor called them over.

"Clara! I've found something!" Clara and Sam made their way through the tall grass to where the Doctor stood. Red followed close behind Sam for his lack of sight. "Clara, you're right that's no rock – it's a ship! Clever chameleon circuit – stolen Time Lord technology – it's disguised itself as a large rock formation to blend into the environment."

"You mean like the TARDIS is suppose to do?" The Doctor's smile faded.

"See, how do you expect her to like you when you point out her flaws?"

"Sorry." Clara shrugged innocently.

"Sam, you getting all this? I know everything's all spacey wacey and you probably don't believe me."

"I ain't that slow in the head, Doctor. I understand what you're saying even if it sounds like a bunch a hooey, but I reckon if the world fits into the palm of God's hand, then the universe must be mighty big. Besides, I don't take fellas for liars just cause I never heard a what they talkin' bout." The Doctor smiled at Sam's pleasant nature, but when he looked away his expressed changed into deep thought. Red barked at the Doctor, startling Clara who forgot he was there beneath the yellow oat grass.

"No, I need you to go round back. Stay hidden – you got that? Out of sight until I need you." Red barked at the Doctor and disappeared into the meadow. "Now, I will go through the front. Clara, you take Sam and head for that side door." He pointed to the side of the formation, but Clara saw no door, only rock.

"Uh, Doctor – what door?"

"Ah" He clearly saw it for what it is, but the chameleon circuit works too well against human eyes. He moved closer to Clara and opened his jacket she was still wearing. He dug through an inside pocket with no luck, then switched over to the other pocket. "There we are." He pulled out a pair of narrow, black rimmed glasses. "Been awhile since I used these." He muttered to himself. He pointed the sonic at one of the lenses until it hardly sputtered green and beeped rather than hummed. He managed to do it to both lenses before the sonic seemed to overheat. "Here, wear these – should cut through the disguise allowing you to see the doors. Clara put on the glasses and looked at the rock.

"Whoa." The rock was now a rounded, brass ship sitting quite firmly in the soft meadow ground. "Oh, I see the door, come on Sam lets go." Clara start off through the grass and Sam followed, but the Doctor caught Sam's arm before he joined Clara.

"I know you have something not of this world. I'm not sure how or why, but trust me I will find out. If anything happens to her, you will have to answer to me – got that?" Sam calmly nodded his head, almost unthreatened by the Doctor. "When this is over, you will have some explaining to do." He released Sam. Sam was unfazed by his threat and walked away as if he knew he was in the right and not the wrong. It bothered the Doctor. He sighed in irritation and headed for the front door of the familiar ship.

He felt his memories scramble in the presence of the familiar structure. It was impossible – a Muktary must have somehow hijacked it. No Dalek would land their own ship this way, especially not on earth in an irrelevant time period with no technology. Before he reached the door another thought crossed his mind, how did Clara know it wasn't a rock? Why was she so fixated on it? What's the connection? He broke his chain of thought and tried to focus on the problem at hand. The sonic shown bright green and hummed into life, unlocking the door. The Doctor felt something hard stick into his back.

"Move an I shoot." The Doctor put his hands up after stealthily hiding his sonic in his pocket. "Do's I say an we's won't hurt your friends."

"I'll do whatever you want, but harm my friends and even I don't know what would happen." The bandit almost gave a hint of fear, but then ordered the Doctor into the ship.

"On with ya, and keep your mouth shut." They walked down a dimly light, metal hallway until it opened into the ships main hull. Clara and Sam's hands were tied behind their backs while two armed men stood guard over them. "Stop." The bandit tied his hands behind his back and guarded him like the others. The leader stepped out from behind the ship's controls to greet his intruders.

"Welcome to our home, took you long enough to find it."

"Enough mindless chatter, what do you want and where's the blue box." The leader stood closer to the Doctor, standing almost a foot taller.

"You should be more concerned with you and your little friends, Doctor." His gaze became powerful and the leader took a step back. "Yes, Doctor, I know who you are. No one else in the universe travels in a silly blue box. Too bad this ship couldn't give me more stolen Time Lord tech – I might a been able to get inside."

"About that – did you just find this ship floating around, or did you actually steal it?"

"Course I stole it! Dalek's don't often travel alone, but I got lucky – small crew, off in the middle of nowhere with no back up, it was easy pickins."

"Not even a Muktary could hijack a Dalek ship on his own, where's your brothers?" The leader turned away from the Doctor and walked back towards the controls.

"Dead. All a them. They died in battle – no need for mourning. Unfortunately, the ship was low on fuel so I crashed here on this barren plant with stupid people. Best I could do is get these good-for-nothin outlaws." The leader pulled a lever and sent down a beam of light upon each prisoner, holding them in a chamber. Then he pressed a button and the TARDIS appeared beside him. "Don't you love perception filters? So simple and so useful." The Doctor noticed Sam was almost free of his ropes, and the guards had moved to join the others by the controls. To keep the attention away from him to continued to talk with the leader.

"Like I said before, what do you want? Gold? I can get you plenty of it and you can go back home rich with armor and weapon material."

"How does it go Doctor? All that is gold does not glitter? Some things are more valuable than aurum. I want your machine. With time in my hands, the Muktary will thrive and conquer worlds throughout the galaxy."

"Many have tried before and none have ever succeeded. Only I know how to fly her and she hates strangers – she'll probably through you in an eternal maze before you ever find the control panel."

"It's a machine and machines can be controlled." The Doctor quickly took a glance over at Sam who gave a short nod signally his hands were free.

"The TARDIS is not just a machine, she's alive and the living will always have free will." Sam pointed his arm straight up at the chamber beam. He held a humming green sonic screwdriver identical to the Doctor's. The beams faded away and something at the control panel sparked. Clara and Sam quickly rejoined the Doctor who confirmed his fears after looking at the other sonic. The Doctor pointed his sonic at the leader and Sam covered his back. The leader recovered from the sparks and faced them with a broken perception filter, revealing his true form. Outlaws aimed their guns, surrounding them. "Careful now, Muktarian, you know what I'm capable with a sonic device."

"You're surrounded, my man will kill you before the frequency waves reach my body."

"Are you sure about that?" The leader began to growl and was about to order his men to fire when Red dashed at his feet, biting down hard on his doggish ankle. He let out a roar of pain and the Doctor led Clara and Sam towards the TARDIS. The outlaws began to fire, but quickly realize their bullets reached across the room at each other. The leader saw them making a break for the TARDIS and just before they reached its blue doors, he pressed a button and it fell through the floor to a level below them. His efforts to shake Red free failed.

"Kill them!" The Doctor aimed his sonic at the leader, but it dimly sputtered green with a slow hum then burst, burning the Doctor's hand.

"Run!" He held tight to Clara and took off running down a hallway with Sam close behind. The leader swung his leg into the metal column near by effectively separating himself from Red. Red whimpered in pain as his ribs took the blow. Scared and in pain, he took off running after Sam nearly missing a bullet.


End file.
